by J E Worthen

The Atheists Quandary

Atheists do not believe in God. That we all know. But why do they continue to challenge in courts wavering this way and that, their blatant arguments to leave God out of anything in schools or the public arena?

The Urban Dictionary defines atheism as:

1.) A person who lacks belief in a god or gods. People who use this definition categorize atheists as either negative (or implicit or weak) atheists or positive (or explicit or strong) atheists. Negative atheists, while they don’t believe in a god, do not positively assert that no gods exist. Positive atheists, however, do.

2.) A person who believes that no god or gods exist.

Those who consider themselves atheists (who are usually positive atheists) tend to define ‘atheist’ using the former definition, and those who believe in a god or gods tend to define ‘atheist’ using the latter. In both cases, this seems to be a demagogic practice intended to classify either as many or as few people as atheists as possible. Negative atheists are usually referred to as agnostics.

While neither definition of atheism entails any personality traits of atheists or of those who do believe in a god or gods (sometimes referred to as ‘theists’), both atheists and theists tend to believe that certain traits apply to all atheists/theists. Common myths about atheists include: all atheists are arrogant, immoral, rebellious, and/or intolerant; all atheists really believe in (the Christian) God and are simply in denial.

C. S. Lewis wrote in “Surprised by Joy”, before his conversion, “The natural step would have been to inquire a little more closely whether the Christians were, after all, wrong. But I did not take it. I thought I could explain their superiority without that hypothesis. Absurdly (yet many Absolute Idealists have shared this absurdity) I thought that “the Christian myth” conveyed to unphilosophic minds as much of the truth, that is of Absolute Idealism, as they were capable of grasping, and that even much put them above the irreligious. Those who could not rise to the notion of the Absolute would come nearer to the truth by belief in “a God” than by disbelief. Those who could not understand how, as Reasoners, we participated in a timeless and therefore deathless world, would get a symbolic shadow of the truth by believing in a life after death. The implication – that something which I and most other undergraduates could master without extraordinary pains would have been too hard for Plato, Dante, Hooker, and Pascal – did not yet strike me as absurd. ”

What Lewis was trying to do, reading young, all the great writers was trying to find a reasoning, some explainable earthly way of rationalizing GOD. It didn’t work. He said, ” I distinguished this philosophical “God” very sharply (or so I said) from the God of popular religion. There was, I explained no possibility of being in a personal relation with Him. For I thought He projected us as a dramatist projects his characters, and I could no more “meet” Him than Hamlet could meet Shakespeare. I didn’t call Him “God” either, I called him “Spirit”. One fights for one’s remaining comforts.” Ahh..but Lewis was losing his battle as many realists eventually do.

“The odd thing was that before God closed in on me, I was in fact offered what now appears a moment of wholly free choice.” That in essence is what Christ is all about. He offers us a free choice. And we can essentially go on our merry little way, believing all kinds of things, from intellectual relativism, realism, cults, and denials; the fact being, God lets us muddle in the miry muck until finally we come in and give up our will for His. The fact, like Lewis, many of us had a hard time letting go of the reign of self will. He was in essence afraid of losing his freedom, when the truth of it is by giving our will over to God, we gain our freedom.

“Really, Lewis said, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side. For the first time, I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was legion!” (The demon.) He goes on to say, ” My Adversary waived the point. It sank into unimportance. He would not argue about it. He only said, “I am the Lord”; I am that I am”; I am.”

“People who are naturally religious find difficulty in understanding the horror of such a revelation. Amiable agnostics will talk Cheerfully about “man search for God.” To me, ” Lewis said, “as I was then was, they might as well have talked about the mouse’s search for the cat. Such, do not generally want to be interfered with. In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed; perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.”

Repentance means a change. God wants to move us into His presence…in a life giving way. You have to step into this new way that can be tension, yet glorious and wonderful. Repent and believe are God’s requirements. Hear what HE says to move His way. Then we begin to act a NEW way.

John 3:3 Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. ” 3:15 ” That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life. ” 3:17 ” For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved.”

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ. ” (Preach something other than the CROSS, as God is observing all our efforts and will accept on that which is in Christ.) “For in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but, a new creature.” Galations 6:15 (Blows all of man’s religious ceremonies and idealist thinking, to pieces.) We are to become that NEW CREATURE, once saved and converted – all things passed away! If not, then the question of salvation becomes questioned, when your friends and lifestyle haven’t changed. It all begins as Lewis said, with repentance. For we are all sinners after all. Wherefore, the Aethists argument too, go right out the proverbial window, for it has long ago been answered. Albeit, as a Christian, who believes in God, and this country, America, that was founded on Christianity, I too will fight to keep the God of hope and faith in tact.

When renowned Christian author C.S. Lewis died Nov. 22, 1963, of kidney failure, his passing was overshadowed. It was the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. On Friday, the 50th anniversary of the deaths, churches and civic groups across the nation will honor the man who helped shape much of modern Christian thought with books like “Mere Christianity,” “The Problem of Pain,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” series. I may make note here also, that John F. Kennedy, though Catholic, was pro-life, and he hated Communism! By all of today’s Democrats in Washington, he would have appeared a conservative in comparison. For this progressive Socialistic move hadn’t yet appeared in the 60’s. How our standards and ethics have become so depraved. Yet, there is only one answer, then and now, for all the divisiveness so rampant, from racism, morality, to denying God. America must come back on her knees, and let the only one who matters back in our hearts, starting with true repentance.

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4 thoughts on “The Atheists Quandary”

(My last reply..have to get off of here). Now I understand. The quandary for you that you deny, is the Cross. On the top bar is “The Importance of Salvation”, which I encourage you to read. Because you are denying the God you are in essence defending America against the godless, yet you haven’t discovered the wonderful personal relationship with our Lord, therefore it is you in a quandary of denial of God Almighty. John 3:3 says, “Unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” For when we come to the Cross of Christ and the blood he shed for the sins of mankind, it is a freedom and liberation, as Lewis said, that you cannot fathom. I will pray for you my friend that you have this new awakening. For He has NEVER ever let me down since my salvation. And God loves you…just waiting for your free will to give it all to Him. God Bless you.

I still don’t see a quandary though. Accepting a God and/or Goddess of any sort – yeah, I’m not Christian – is a matter of free will and, I believe must be so because faith can’t be compulsory. By “can’t be” I mean it’s impossible to compel faith.

I agree with you. However, I didn’t write this from a law point of view or even our culture or our Constitution. But, from an Atheist view as C. S. Lewis was before his conversion. However, to agree with you, I point to David Barton’s book, “Original Intent”, much of which I had covered in other writings here. I know by reading Barton and other’s most decisions are made in courts now by omission. For instance, nothing is presented in cases prior to 1947. However, this particular article, is meant to focus on an individuals decision, (free will) on whether to accept Christ as his savior or remain in their Atheist views. And that, can be a quandary.

There is no Atheist Quandary except for the one centered upon what should Americans do about them and their literally unholy war against normative American culture.

Our great national mistake was allowing judges to be appointed or elected who would grant the Godless standing to level suits against normal, Gods-fearing Americans and religion in general.

No such case should EVER have been heard in court and each and every one of the plaintiffs should have been charged with civil rights violations for filing the suits in the first place since such suits are nothing but paper terrorism.